Mary Anne Thomas was a 53-year-old African-American woman living in Washington, D.C. Remembered by those who knew her as outgoing, fearless, strong, and loyal, she was also described as passionate, ambitious, and brave. She had a background in nursing and had attended Paul Junior High School and Roosevelt High School.
In the pre-dawn hours of Friday, June 27, 2014, police responded to a call for a welfare check at a home in the Southwest quadrant of the city. At approximately 4 a.m., officers entered the residence, located in the 1200 block of Howison Place SW, just a few blocks from Nationals Park. Inside, they discovered Mary Anne Thomas. She had been fatally shot. According to court documents, an uninjured child was also found on the home's second floor.
The Metropolitan Police Department immediately began investigating Thomas's death as a homicide.
The shooting left neighbors terrified, with one resident expressing concern that people would be reluctant to come forward with information. The neighbor told a reporter, "This is Southwest and people aren't going to snitch."
As of June 2014, no arrests had been made in connection with the murder of Mary Anne Thomas, and her case remains unsolved. D.C. police are offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 202-727-9099.
